User:B33thov3n70-27/String Quartet No. 12 (Beethoven)

Ludwig van Beethoven completed his String Quartet No. 12 in E♭ major, Op. 127, in 1825. It is the first of his late quartets. Commissioned by Nicolas Galitzin over a year prior, this work was not ready when it was scheduled to premiere. When it finally premiered by the Schuppanzigh Quartet, it was not well received. Only with subsequent performances by the Bohm Quartet and the Mayseder Quartet would it begin to gain credibility to the public.

Background
String Quartet No. 12, Op. 127 was the first of Beethoven's late quartets and was commissioned by the wealthy Russian Prince Nicolas Galitzin, who was an enthusiast of Beethoven's music. A cellist himself, Galitzin searched to play the music of Beethoven, waiting impatiently for him to compose them at whatever price he see fit. Galitzin's commission happened to bring Beethoven back to composing the string quartet genre whence he was absent for 10 years. At the same time, it temporarily suspended his financial woes. Beethoven replied to Prince Galitzin on January 25, 1823, requesting 50 ducats for three quartets: Op. 127, 130, and 131. He committed to completing the first quartet by the end of February or mid March. At the time, the Symphony No. 9 was taking the majority of Beethoven's time. Therefore he pushed work on Op. 127 back well over a year as Symphony No. 9 wasn't completed until February 1824.

Analysis
The work has four movements and a typical performance takes around 36–38 minutes. Beethoven initially planned two additional movements: one between the first and second, and another between the third and fourth.1. Maestoso (time signature) – Allegro in E♭ major

2. Adagio, ma non troppo e molto cantabile – Andante con moto – Adagio molto espressivo  – Tempo I  in A♭ major

3. Scherzando vivace in E♭ major

4. Allegro in E♭ majorIn the first edition of 1826, published by Schott, the finale had no initial tempo marking other than "Finale", and the third movement's opening indication was "Scherzo: Vivace", not "Scherzando vivace".

1st Movement: Maestoso
The first movement is in sonata form and opens with introduction featuring a 6-bar Maestoso with a chorale like setting. The Allegro ensues with the start of the exposition at m. 7 with a more committed tone. The Maestoso has an unusual rhythmic structure. Rhythms of two-bar groups fall in a 5+3 pattern in eighth notes. The metric pulse is in quarter notes. Each of the bars of the meastoso stress a rising step until ultimately C is reached in the first violin with an elaborate trill bringing us to the Allegro. Episodic explosions or virtuosic passages happen toward the middle of the development. Contrapuntal texture ensues within the first half of the development. Canons come in with thematic material. Canons lead to thematic material from the maestoso in C major.

2nd Movement: Theme and Variations
The Adagio titled Adagio, ma no troppo e molto cantible, is in Ab major. It contains six variations on a lyrical theme. The last two variations have qualities of recapitulations in unrelated keys. The 3rd variation is in the flat submedient E major. The 4th variation returns to the tonic and to the original material of the theme. It is altered rhythmically using sixteenth-notes in place of eighth notes in the melody.

The immense second movement is in the subdominant key of A♭ major. It consists of a set of six variations and a coda.


 * 1) The first variation is in  meter with darker harmonies and quick changes in dynamics.
 * 2) The second variation increases the tempo to andante con moto and adjusts the meter to . Here, the two violins engage in a dialogue over staccato accompaniment.
 * 3) The third variation shifts to E major, enharmonically the flat submediant, and the tempo shifts to a hymn-like adagio molto espressivo.
 * 4) The fourth variation returns to  and the key of A♭ by dropping a half-step from E to the dominant note (E♭). This variation has a codetta that transitions to D♭ major in preparation for the next variation.
 * 5) The fifth variation is sotto voce and has been called a "mysterious episode". It begins in D♭ major and transitions to the parallel C♯ minor.
 * 6) The recapitulatory sixth variation returns to, presents only half of the theme and connects directly to the coda.

3rd Movement: Scherzo
A dance-like movement, the scherzo features a dotted rhythm figure. This is the most contrapuntal movement of the quartet. Beethoven introduces a lot of motivic material into this contrapuntal process resulting in the scherzo. A lot of musical conversation happens between the four voices giving a meandering feel. The scherzo's trio is a Presto of a kind Beethoven did not use very often, though it is similar in sound and phrasing to some of his bagatelles from the contemporary Op. 126 set.

4th Movement: Finale
The fourth movment is in sonata form. The four bar opening of the finale is expanded to an eleven bar harmonic recall later in the Finale. The finale continues on with heavy conversation happening between all four voices. The coda titled Allegro con moto is in 6/8 meter. A key change from E minor to C major happens. It is elevated with the different texture of the triplet sixteenth notes.

The penultimate variation recapitulates the theme after a contrasting section in the submediant, while the final variation restores the tonic and basic thematic material after an episode in the subdominant. Beethoven based this tonal progression on the finale of the Ninth Symphony (Op. 125), where the orchestral double fugue episode in B♭ is followed by the "grand" variation for full orchestra and choir in D major, followed by the "Seid umschlungen" episode in G major, which moves into the choral double fugue in the tonic D major.


 * Op. 127: A♭ → E (lowered submediant) – penultimate variation → D♭ (subdominant) → final variation
 * Op. 125: D → B♭ (lowered submediant) – penultimate variation → G (subdominant) → final variation

Reception
The Schuppanzigh Quartet premiered Op. 127 on March 6, 1825. Few people were moved as the performance was regarded as a failure. Its first listeners described is as incomprehensible. Joseph Bohm, first violinist of the Bohm Quartet, reported: "When Beethoven learned of this-for he was not present at the performance-he became furious and let both performers and the public in for some harsh words." The premiere for Op. 127 was scheduled to occur in a concert on January 23, 1825 but the quartet was still unfinished at this time. Beethoven's Op. 95 was substituted for it instead. The next schedule for the quartet to be performed was set for March 6, 1825. On February 8, Schuppanzigh asked Beethoven how the quartet was going as it is less than a month from the premiere and the quartet hadn't had any rehearsals yet. The quartet ended up having only two weeks for rehearsal. After the premiere Schuppanzigh wrote to Beethoven saying he didn't want to present it until it was perfect.